Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño reported firing 11 deputy trainees after a scandal where some of them tried to cheat on an upcoming test.

Sheriff Treviño reported that the deputy trainees were all fired on Thursday.

The sheriff’s office reports that four of the deputy trainees conspired to download and print a copy of the test.

The four trainees passed copies of the test to seven other trainees, who Sheriff Treviño said failed to report it to a supervisor.

The deputy trainees were identified as:

• Jose Placencia
• Ubaldo Salinas
• Ernesto Acuna
• Roberto Perez
• Raul Barboza
• Salvador Herrera
• Jocelyn Magallan
• Artemio Anguino
• Michale Foltin
• Lizet Lizcano
• Joe Cortez 

Sheriff Treviño condemned the incident and said it “eviscerates” the foundation of integrity his office has tried to create over the past eight years.

“I am very disappointed and dismayed at the action of these 11 individuals,” Treviño said. “I am self reporting this cheating incident to comply with my management principles of transparency and accountability. My disciplinary actions are severe in order to demonstrate that I will not tolerate any act of dishonesty by any member of the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office.”